Covering all the bases with whatever's bouncing around in my head today!

If I Could Turn Back Time…

Not too far back, just to June 25th or so. And I promise I won’t try to sing like Cher. :-)

On June 25th, the hubby and I made it to our second Phillies game of the year (second for me, that is; he’s been to three now). And this time, the kids and dog were happily off at Camp Grandma, and the sun was shining. So, no complaints from anyone about being ready to go home in the third inning; no worries about what the dog might be destroying while we’re out; no big, cold raindrops to keep my camera away. It was a good day.

Would have been better if the Phillies had been able to muster some offense, but I guess I can’t have everything, hmm?

Though the Phils dropped this interleague game to the A’s, 4-1, they did end up taking 2 of 3 from the visitors. And that’s been the story since then, as the Phils have won 2 of 3 from each subsequent series against the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Marlins, and Braves. This is especially good to see against the AL teams, as the Phils traditionally have dreadful results in interleague games round about this time of year.

Without further ado, some photos from the game:

With no short attention spans to worry about, we got to the ballpark early enough to catch some of the Phillies' batting practice. Here, Jimmy Rollins shoots one into the outfield.

The players shagging flies during BP are seemingly unconcerned about all the litter they are creating on the playing field. Ben Francisco, Ross Gload, and a yet-to-be-identified Phillie have quite a collection of debris in front of them.

"Hey, you stepped in something!"...."No, you stepped in something"

Cole Hamels on the mound for the Phils. Though he gave up just two runs in eight innings, I wouldn't describe his outing as particularly sharp - along with two walks, he committed a balk, hit a batter, and surrendered a home run to Adam Rosales, who is currently hitting a lofty .121 on the season.

Maybe Cole was distracted by the debut of his giant facial bandage. My first thought was that he had had some kind of shaving accident, but given the amount of stubble present, I doubt he'd shaved recently. Supposedly there was some kind of "infection" under there - it must have been a doozy, as he was still sporting the bandage over a week later.

Though the A's had been wearing relatively tame green jerseys for BP, they changed into these ugly yellow numbers for the game. Note the similarity in color to those worn by the CBP vending corps.

The ghastly yellow must have been distracting to the Phillies hitters. Though starter Trevor Cahill looks slightly less than calm and cool, the Phils were able to muster only four hits in this game.

One of those four hits came from the bat of Carlos Ruiz, who drove in the lone Phillies run in the second inning.

Placido Polanco seems to be auditioning for a part in "The Adjustment Bureau". I guess things just weren't feeling quite right for Polly this night.

Polanco seemed to be having "issues" in the field as well. He's since revealed that he is suffering from a bulging disk in his back, so maybe that had something to do with it.

When things aren't going well on the field, a glance at the scoreboard is needed to distract me from my displeasure. The moniker "LaLaLand" (or I gues that should be "LaaLaLand") is especially fitting when the Dodgers are hosting the Angels.

So now we come to the All-Star break.

The Phillies offense has underperformed more often than I would like, two-fifths of the season’s starting rotation, as well as key members of the bullpen, are on the DL, yet they still sit atop the NL East and own the best record in the majors. :-) Bring on the second half!

Well, the A’s left Philly long before my time. I actually was an A’s fan as a kid back in the mid-70’s (Lord knows why; probably had something to do with those three WS wins). There is a Philadelphia A’s Historical Society, though it’s located in the suburb of Hatboro rather than in Philly proper. I’ve been there once or twice – it’s not real big, but does have some neat stuff on display.

Great photos Sue! And I adore your captions. The first Polanco photo with the bat makes me think of those Disney nature films with all of the bears scratching their backs like crazy against trees and logs.
— Kristen

Thanks, Kristen! It was challenging to get Polanco at just the right moment. I noticed him doing this during his first at-bat, but didn’t get it then. And it wasn’t before every pitch. As with trying to get shots of pitching or hitting, it was almost a matter of anticipating the action to get it just right.

I agree, you have to anticipate their movements for good photos and then hope no one stands up in front of you at the last minute or your subject doesn’t pick that second to start adjusting himself…though you have handled the latter problem with wonderful humor. :)
— Kristen

Sue,
Great pick-up by your young GM of Pence. Could be a solid move to bring a guy who does thing on base to produce, plus brings experience and a good bat to solidify the offense. If it gets them into the post season, will be remembered as a great Trade Deadline pick-up.

Renegade, I certainly hope that’s the case! As an Astro, I was never fond of Pence, which pretty much means that he was a guy capable of making a difference in a game. I suppose I’ll be changing my mind about him now that he’s a Phillie. :-)

Sue,
Well I am turning back the clock as I had not read that! I was in Minnesota the week before then Dodger games along with the SABR convention in Long Beach that I had volunteered and was attending sessions also. busy busy. Great pictures and captions! You are the best!

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